Spirituality, Religiosity and Coping Strategies Among Spanish People Diagnosed with Cancer

• Published in: Journal of religion and health Vol. 60; no. 4; pp. 2830 - 2848
• Main Authors: Arbinaga, F., Mendoza-Sierra, M. I., Bohórquez, M. R., Verjano-Cuellar, M. I., Torres-Rosado, L., Romero-Pérez, N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aging; Cancer; Clinical Psychology; Coping; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Paper; Public Health; Religious Studies; Spirituality; Spirituality; Secular; Religious practices; Beliefs; Religiosity; Cancer
• ISSN: 0022-4197; 1573-6571
• DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01247-0

The present study evaluates the influence of spirituality/religiosity (S/R) on the coping strategies used by people with cancer (breast and prostate) compared with those without cancer, in a sample of 445 Spanish participants (160 with cancer and 285 without). Significant interactions between the presence of cancer and S/R are observed in the use of coping strategies such as religion, humor and disconnection. Spirituality as a predictor variable through the use of religion as a strategy, increased the explanatory capacity of age by 58.9% ( β  = .794) while praying/talking to God predicts the use of this strategy with a β  = .383. In people with cancer, active coping was predicted by spirituality ( β  = .327). However, spirituality was a negative predictor of maladaptive coping, with a beta coefficient equal to .383. The data suggest that patients’ beliefs need to be considered by health care professionals when designing interventions.